Monday, August 24, 2009
UPDATE | Nichols will get stimulus money - South Whidbey Record
By ROY JACOBSON
South Whidbey Record Reporter
Aug 22 2009, 8:00 AM
Nichols Brothers Boat Builders will get nearly a million dollars in federal stimulus funds as one of 10 small shipyards in the state to receive grants.
The Freeland firm will get $841,077 from the Maritime Administration to use for improvements at the yard, Len York, Nichols Brothers chief executive, said Thursday.
The money, from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, is part of nearly $7.4 million awarded to shipyards in the state, and $98 million awarded to 70 shipyards nationally by the federal Maritime Administration.
York said the money would be used to upgrade equipment and to build portable coverings under which anticipated future projects can be built.
He said the stimulus money would not mean new jobs immediately, except for local subcontracting work, but that it would “support the upcoming projects that will lead to new hiring.”
“We’re going to be hiring soon,” York said. He said the number of new jobs hasn’t been determined, but “with the new business we’ll be bringing in, we’ll be growing our job base fairly substantially in the next 90 days.”
York said workers would be brought back gradually as the workload increases.
Last fall, 30 Nichols employees were laid off when the company lost a contract to build a new ferry for a California buyer.
Archie Nichols, shipyard superintendent, said that another 20 or so were temporarily laid off last month due to a slack in the workload, but that some of those layoffs were voluntary.
Nichols said the remaining employees were told this past week that there would be no further layoffs. The company currently employs about 130.
“We’re planning to bring all those people back who want to come back as soon as we get a couple more weeks down the road,” Nichols said. “We’re going to be full-tilt by Oct. 1,” he predicted.
York said Nichols Brothers continues to work its way through other projects, and that word “is about a week away” on financing for a barge contract that would be worth $25 million.
The firm hopes to get backing from the Import-Export Bank for the five barges, each of which would cost $5 million. The barges would be used in a Panama Canal dredging project.
The company also recently delivered the fifth in a series of $10-million large tugboats, and the San Francisco buyer has said it may order two additional tugs.
Nichols Brothers also recently delivered the second of four twin-hulled passenger ferries being built for the San Francisco Bay Area’s Water Emergency Transit Authority.
Two more of the $8.8 million, 116-foot catamarans are on order, and are expected to be delivered late next year. A deal for two additional catamarans is being discussed.
Meanwhile, the firm is preparing a joint bid with Todd Pacific Shipyard on two more 64-car ferries for the state of Washington, with an option for a third.
The contract is expected to be awarded in October, with construction to begin within six weeks.
Nichols Brothers and Todd are already building a similar ferry under a $65 million contract awarded this past December for delivery next summer. The new vessel will be assigned to the Keystone-Port Townsend route.
Todd also received more than $1.9 million in Maritime stimulus money, the biggest award in the state.
The stimulus packages were announced by Washington Democratic Sen. Patty Murray, chairwoman of the Transportation and Housing Appropriations Subcommittee overseeing funding for the Department of Transportation and the Maritime Administration.
She included $100 million in the Recovery Act to improve small shipyards and create jobs. The bill was signed into law by President Obama on Feb. 17.
The grants will be distributed through the Maritime Administration’s Supplemental Grants for Assistance to Small Shipyards program.
“Our small shipyards are a critical piece of our domestic maritime industry, and of Washington state’s economy,” Murray said.
Washington received the most stimulus grants of any state. Other shipyards that will get funds are Kvichak Marine Industries, Inc. in Seattle, $1.1 million; Foss Marine Company’s Seattle yard, $621,761; Lake Union Drydock Company in Seattle, $184,217; and SAFE Boats International in Port Orchard, $1 million.
South Whidbey Record Reporter Roy Jacobson can be reached at rjacobson@southwhidbeyrecord.com or 360-221-5300.
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Remember When - Kitsap Sun
In 1934 (75 Years Ago)
Federal and local officials will meet this week to discuss new work relief programs for the fall and winter months.
Four counties, including Kitsap, make up District 2 of the Washington Emergency Relief Administration. The others are Clallam, Jefferson and King.
With current relief activities mostly focused on food vouchers, officials at the meeting are expected to draw up plan to provide full employment through projects similar to the old Civil Works Administration.
Enriched by contracts to build two new destroyers, Puget Sound Navy Yard officials forecast an era of continued prosperity.
They also said the civilian work force is larger than it has been since the World War period. Plans for the new destroyers likely won’t reach the yard for weeks, but hiring efforts are beginning now.
In 1959 (50 Years Ago)
With remodeling under way, Bremerton City Hall is operating today out of various interim locations.
As jackhammers start refurbishing of the current City Hall on Fourth Street downtown, most city offices have set up shop at the old Citizens Bank building at Second and Washington. The only mishap during the move occurred when a piece of concrete fell and damaged police telephone wires, causing a brief phone outage.
Navy ships undergoing repairs at private Pacific Northwest shipyards idled by the machinists strike may be brought to PSNS for completion of work, a Navy spokesman said today.
Such a shift would be dependent on the duration of the strike and how urgently the ships are needed, he said.
In 1984 (25 Years Ago)
It was a meeting that state ferry officials will not soon forget.
They came to Kingston on Wednesday prepared to unveil a precariously balanced budget proposal for 1985 to 1987 and to warn that the ferry system is headed for a sea of red ink.
But a frustrated crowd of more than 40 were upset about other issues besides finances. They complained about such things as schedule changes and the lack of a walkway for foot passengers at the Edmonds foot terminal.
In 1999 (10 Years Ago)
The state Supreme Court is being asked to delay a court order that would slow the fast-ferry Chinook and increase commuting time on the Seattle-Bremerton run.
If the state ferry system’s last-ditch court effort is unsuccessful, the Chinook will be slowed Tuesday to 12 knots in Rich Passage and what had been a 35-minute crossing will take about 50 minutes.
The court order stems from a lawsuit filed by Rich Passage landowners arguing the Chinook’s wake damages their property.
Compiled from Daily News Searchlight and Kitsap Sun archives by Ann Horn
Read more: http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2009/aug/23/remember-when/#ixzz0P7tEMqHd
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Saturday, August 15, 2009
No ferries if flu hits Whidbey - The Whidbey Examiner
By Sue Ellen White
For the Examiner
Access to ferries could be limited or closed in the event of a flu pandemic, according to a draft Washington State Ferries planning document.
The draft memo, which outlines employee flu prevention and operational options, states that in "areas of declared isolation/quarantine and emergency" ferry routes could be reduced, limited or canceled and that public access to ferry facilities could be limited or closed.
Ferry officials could not provide information on criteria for taking those actions but said that on Sept. 22, the governor's cabinet agencies will be meeting for a pandemic flu planning exercise.
Captain Kelly J. Mitchell, a senior port captain and one of a group issuing the WSF memo, said criteria for the ferry restrictions listed in the document have not yet been developed.
"This is a work in progress," Kelly said. "There is a big interagency plan dealing with a pandemic situation. As a state agency we will assist and make services available based on that direction."
Communities such as the San Juans and Whidbey have limited medical facilities and depend heavily on the ferries for transport to larger medical facilities and to receive everyday supplies from off-Island.
Though Mitchell stated that services have not been denied in case of need, in 1998 a dying woman, Kathleen Lee-Geist, was denied priority boarding at Anacortes as she sought to return to her home in the San Juans for the final time. Workers said she and her husband had failed to follow ferry regulations for priority loading. She had to wait two hours to board and died two days later.
Mitchell said that since that time, ferry policies have been revised.
"Washington State Ferries are not in the business of quarantine or isolation. We would work with any agency to meet the need with the service that we provide," Mitchell said.
He said, for example, that sailings could be limited if state officials feel it necessary to limit general travel due to a pandemic or if a large number of crew members were ill and unable to work. He did not address the need for transporting supplies to the Island via ferry, saying that there is a bridge over Deception Pass.
Dr. Roger Case, Island County's chief health official, said planning for an event such as pandemic flu has been going on for several years and that there is a defined chain of command and regular communication.
"We've been meeting with state police, FBI, state ferries. They are all working together in a statewide mitigation planning," he said. "The Department of Health would talk to State Department of Transportation. Their directions will come from the state Department of Health."
Case said that in the event people need off-Island medical care, they would be transported.
"They can't close highways," Case said of the ferry agency. "If [people] need hospitals here, they'll stay here. If they need to be transported, it will be business as usual, just more of it."
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Monday, August 10, 2009
Updated Merchant Mariner Medical Eval Forms
Timeline:
These forms will be available via the NMC website (www.uscg.mil/nmc/) for familiarization purposes on or before September 1, 2009. The Coast Guard is working to create both a printable user guide and to embed instructions in the electronic version of the form in order to assist both the mariner and physicians in completing the forms.
The forms will be available for use on October 1, 2009. The previous version of the forms 719K, Rev (01/02), and K/E, Rev (10/02), will no longer be available from the Coast Guard after that date.
Physical Exams completed on or after January 1, 2010 must be on the new form, Rev (01/09). Physicals completed and signed prior to January 1, 2010 will continue to be accepted with applications submitted after that date (must be dated within one year of application).
The CG-719 K/E should be used only by mariners seeking an entry level credential. This form is limited to applicants for the following rating endorsements: Ordinary Seaman, Wiper, or Steward’s Department (food handler).
The CG-719K should be used for all other endorsement applications.
Sunday, August 9, 2009
State seeks bid on three new ferries - South Whidbey Record
seeks bid on three new ferries
Aug 07 2009, 4:48 PM · UPDATED
Washington State Ferries officials said Friday the state has called for bids for three new ferries.
The advertisement seeking interested companies includes a contract to build at least two new 64-car ferries.
Nichols Brothers Boat Builders is expecting to get some of the work for the new ferries, pending a successful bid. The Freeland boatyard is already doing work on the construction of a 64-car ferry for the state of Washington. WSF awarded a $65.5 million contract to Todd Pacific Shipyards in December 2008 for the ferry, which is scheduled to be delivered in summer 2010, and Nichols Brothers is a subcontractor.
The state plans to build four new ferries in the next five years to replace aging vessels in the fleet. According to WSF, 20 auto-passenger ferries are between 40 and 60 years old and must be replaced in the next two decades.
“Going to ad for these new vessels is a significant step toward updating our fleet and providing our customers a long-term, sustainable ferry system,” said Paula Hammond, Washington Transportation Secretary.
“The investment in our ferry system is also an investment in jobs – for the state’s shipbuilding industry and for the local economies that depend on reliable ferry service," she added. "We have worked closely with the Legislature, ferry-served communities, business leaders and elected officials to get to the point where we could say the ferry system’s future is looking brighter.”
“We ferry riders have been waiting for this day for a long time,” said 10th District Sen. Mary Margaret Haugen, a Democrat from Camano Island who is chairwoman of the Senate Transportation Committee.
WSF officials said the agency will open bids on the additional 64-car ferries contract this fall.
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Steel electric ferries head for recycling - SeattleTimes
Washington's four steel electric-class ferries, taken out of service two years ago for safety reasons, are to be towed to Mexico this month to be cut up and recycled.
The Associated Press
BAINBRIDGE ISLAND, Wash. —
Washington's four steel electric-class ferries, taken out of service two years ago for safety reasons, are to be towed to Mexico this month to be cut up and recycled.
The 82-year-old ferries Nisqually and Quinault are expected to be towed from the ferry system yard at Eagle Harbor this week to Ensenada, Mexico, with sister ships Klickitat and Illahee to follow a week or two later, the Kitsap Sun reported Wednesday.
Washington State Ferries sold the boats in June to Eco Planet Recycling of Chula Vista, Calif., for $50,000 each. The boats have been tied up since November 2007 because their corroded hulls weren't safe and officials decided it was too expensive to repair them.
The ferries were built in 1927 for use on San Francisco Bay. After the Golden Gate and Bay bridges opened, they were sold to Puget Sound Navigation. The state took over the private ferry system in 1951.
The boats, known for their brass and woodwork, could each carry 616 passengers and 59 vehicles. They were used on low-traffic runs during their final years, including Port Townsend-Keystone and inter-island service in the San Juans.
"They've endeared themselves to people's hearts because they've been reliable over the years, in good weather, bad weather, sunny days, wintry days," said ferry system chief naval architect Doug Russell, who's in charge of their decommissioning. "The ferries are part of the family, just like the ferry workers are. They're like a trusted friend."
Ferry system spokeswoman Marta Coursey said historical items and memorabilia have been removed from the boats, archived and stored. The items include artwork and historical photos that will be displayed on other ferries, at terminals and in the headquarters building when money becomes available.
The state plans to build four new ferries.
City officials in Port Townsend had hoped to keep one of the retired boats, using the car deck for parking and the superstructure for retail stores and meeting rooms. But Tim Caldwell, Jefferson County ferry advisory committee chairman, said the boat would have needed shoreline permits if kept on land and annual inspections and dry-docking if moored on the city's waterfront.
"We were trying to at least give them a fond farewell, a lasting legacy on the Olympic Peninsula," Caldwell said.
Port Townsend Mayor Michelle Sandoval said the ferries and community had a lot in common.
"We like old things and we like things with character," she said. "We are a town filled with characters and we love the Steel Electrics for all of their character. We're very looking forward to having a new one, but well miss them so much."
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Information from: Kitsap Sun, http://www.kitsapsun.com/
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WSDOT seeks bids for up to three more new ferries
posted 08/07/2009
The plan to improve Washington's ferry fleet takes another step forward with the advertisement today, Aug. 7, of a contract to build at least two new 64-car ferries.
The Washington State Department of Transportation's Ferries Division (WSF) is building four new ferries in the next five years to replace its aging fleet. Nine of WSF's 20 auto-passenger ferries are between 40 and 60 years old and must be replaced in the next 20 years. The last new Washington State Ferry was put into service in 1999. The state recently sold four 82-year-old Steel Electric class ferries after they were removed from service for safety reasons.
"Going to ad for these new vessels is a significant step toward updating our fleet and providing our customers a long-term, sustainable ferry system," said Paula Hammond, Washington Transportation Secretary. "In addition, the investment in our ferry system is also an investment in jobs – for the state's shipbuilding industry and for the local economies that depend on reliable ferry service. We have worked closely with the legislature, ferry-served communities, business leaders and elected officials to get to the point where we could say the ferry system's future is looking brighter."
"This is a big step in solving the problem and restoring full ferry service for both Coupeville and Port Townsend. We ferry riders have been waiting for this day for a long time," said Senate Transportation Committee Chairwoman Mary Margaret Haugen, D-Camano Island.
"We're happy to report that we're making progress. Construction is well underway on the first new 64-car ferry," said David Moseley, Assistant Secretary for WSF.
WSF awarded a $65.5 million contract to Todd Pacific Shipyards in December 2008 to build one 64-car ferry, which is scheduled to be delivered in summer 2010. The Port Townsend/Keystone route is currently being served by the Steilacoom II leased from Pierce County.
The 2009 Transportation Budget provided $114.8 million for construction of 64-car ferries in the 2009-2011 biennium, and $69.4 million in the 2011-2013 biennium. WSF will pursue a contract for the second and third 64-car ferries with an option to purchase a fourth 64-car ferry. However, if sufficient resources are available to build one 144-car ferry prior to exercising the option to build the fourth 64-car ferry, WSF will pursue procurement of a 144-car ferry instead of a fourth 64-car ferry.
The bid package was posted on WSF's contracts Web site on Friday, August 7. WSF will open bids on the additional 64-car ferries contract this fall.
For more information, please visit www.wsdot.wa.gov/ferries.
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Sunday, August 2, 2009
System on firmer footing for the future - The HeraldNet
By Sen. Mary Margaret Haugen
If this had been a normal year, I’d say it’s been a pretty good one for ferries. If you factor in the economic climate, it’s been a fantastic year.
At a time when other public services were severely cut to cope with the recession, we broke a longstanding logjam and made our greatest progress on ferries in years. No, we didn’t solve every problem — we still lack a dependable revenue source and we need more vessels — but we’re closer to solutions in those areas than we have been in years.
More than anything else, the Legislature listened to what the public wants most — and acted on it. Instead of fancier terminals and parking lots, our focus has shifted to reliable service and boats. We know what you want most is to get where you need to get, when you need to get there.
New ferries are finally on the drawing board — four in the next four years and a fifth ferry sometime after that. The first three will be 64-car, Island Home class vessels. The fourth will be either an Island Home class or a 144-car ferry, depending on the availability of funds, and the fifth will be a 144-car ferry regardless.
We have funding for all routes, including two ferries on the busy summer Port Townsend-Keystone route — that route will get the first two of the 64-car ferries — and continued service to Sidney, B.C.
At the same time, the Legislature sent a strong message to the Transportation Commission to hold the line on ferry fares by limiting increases to 2.5 percent and adopted key efficiencies recommended by the Joint Transportation Commission. Though the commission has also proposed an additional, temporary 10 percent increase for infrequent riders for the summer of 2010, it would not apply to regular riders who purchase tickets by the book.
Washington State Ferries Director David Moseley deserves no small amount of credit for the fresh change in direction. Moseley came to the ferries last year with open ears, riding the ferries to talk with passengers and attending public meetings to hear ferry riders’ concerns directly — and then acting on them. His winning the Governor’s Award for Leadership in Management this year was richly deserved and should not have surprised anyone who has been paying attention to the ferries since Moseley was appointed.
I am particularly pleased to see the transparency and accountability Director Moseley has brought to ferry management. Under him, cost assumptions have become more realistic and projections more accurate. Moreover, we will see a return of $1,398 for every dollar spent on a two-year study by the Cedar River Group that identified ways to save costs over the course of the ferries’ long-range plan. The study identifies $1.3 billion in savings over 16 years by streamlining operations and improving pricing.
Best of all, given our lean funding, our progress on ferries has won the support of lawmakers at the federal level. U.S. Sen. Patty Murray recently announced the dedication of $8.36 million in federal stimulus funds for Washington state’s ferry docks and terminals. And while that isn’t as much money as we’d hoped, it’s still a big help and relieves the pressure to find a source for those funds locally.
The federal funding includes:
n $2.6 million for a passenger-only fast ferry prototype for the Seattle-Bremerton run;
n $2 million for a passenger-only fast ferry for the King County Ferry District;
n $3 million to replace the Anacortes ferry terminal; and
n $750,000 to build a new terminal with expanded customer service for the Skagit Guemes Island ferry.
On another front, we have approved a pilot program to explore the feasibility of a ferry reservation system. I’ve heard from many people who consider this a topic of no small controversy, so let me assure you of three things:
n First, reservations are far more idea than reality. At this time we are only exploring a plan to create a trial project on a single ferry run (Edmonds-Kingston) to see if users like the concept.
n Second, we realize that even if reservations work out for some communities, they may not work for others. So even if reservations prove popular in some communities, other communities that do not like the idea will not have to adopt it.
n Third, any decisions that are made will be guided by public input. Not every run will have reservations if the pilot project is successful. We will be examining the unique needs of every run in the system as well as hearing the opinions of riders.
All in all, these changes reflect the positive results of a lot of hard work over the last several years by the Legislature, the Department of Transportation and the governor. As a result, I’m very happy to report that, for the first time in years, I see a better future for our ferries and everyone who depends on them.
Sen. Mary Margaret Haugen, D-Camano Island, chairs the Senate Transportation Committee.
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